Belgium vs Netherlands
Netherlands is 38% larger than Belgium.
BelgiumNetherlandsBelgium moved onto Netherlands · Equal-area projection
0.73×
Belgium is 0.73× the area of Netherlands. Put the other way, Netherlands is 1.38× the size of Belgium.
| Belgium | Netherlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 30,688 km² | 42,201 km² |
| Population | 11,941,781 | 18,087,633 |
| Density | 389 / km² | 429 / km² |
| Capital | Brussels | Amsterdam |
| Region | Western Europe | Western Europe |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 4 | 2 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belgium sits at about 51°N and is stretched to 2.49× its true area; Netherlands at 52° N is stretched to 2.67×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Belgium bigger than Netherlands?
- No. Belgium is 27% smaller than Netherlands. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Netherlands covers 42,201 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Netherlands?
- About 1.4 times: Netherlands has 1.38× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Netherlands look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belgium is drawn about 2.49× its true area there and Netherlands about 2.67×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or Netherlands?
- Netherlands: 18,087,633 people against 11,941,781. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Netherlands 429 per km².